A Happy Birthday Indeed
by MollyWollyRose
Summary: Leah and Jacob have been best friends since grade school, but their separate adult lives have kept them apart since college. But when Jacob decides to surprise Leah on her birthday, it's an event that will change their lives, and their friendship forever.
1. Chapter One

**New story! This will be a short story that will last for the duration of the summer. It's just something short and sweet and fluffy that's dedicated to and inspired by a couple good friends of mine that went through the same thing, even though I've lemoned it up.**

**Remember: Reviews are ALWAYS welcome!**

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><p><strong>A Happy Birthday Indeed: Leah and Jacob have been best friends since grade school, but their separate adult lives have kept them apart since college. However, when Jacob decides to surprise Leah on her birthday, it's an event that will change their lives, and their friendship, forever.<strong>

**Chapter One**

"This looks great, Kim!" I said, flipping through her photos. "The readers will love this. How'd you get Rosalie and Emmett to agree to do this?" Each photo was romantic and silly, which lent a perfect tone to the mood of the article.

Too bad that in real life, their relationship was not as harmonious as it seemed in print. She is tough as nails lawyer and he is a stock broker for a financial firm and they just didn't mix. But their animosity towards each other did nothing to hide their obvious sexual attraction. Emily and I placed bets on how long it would take until they slept together.

"It was no biggie. Rose is always up for anything that involves pictures of herself. Emily just had to bribe Emmett with dinner at the brownstone again..."

"That's great!"

"... So you're gonna have to do some grocery shopping, 'cause it's your week to cook." Emily finished for Kim from her desk, giggling when I tossed a stack of Post-It notes at her retreating back. "And before I forget, he wants your world famous pot roast!"

"That's not so great, but will do!" I replied, flipping through the pictures once more. Rose and Emmett really did look great for our Valentine's Day spread. I thanked my lucky stars that they were so absorbed with themselves.

The phone rang and I bent over the front of my desk to answer it. Emily, from the office manager's desk in the middle of the room, looked up from her tarot cards, but I nodded so she wouldn't worry about getting the phone.

"_NYC Beat_. Leah Clearwater speaking." I greeted, feeling the usual surge of pride when I said the name of my small, successful urban magazine.

_"So that is what two years of success sounds like..."_ Drawled a familiar voice. I shot up and smiled, walking to look out of my window.

"Oh wow!" I squealed, gripping the phone hard in my excitement. "Jake! How are you?"

_"I've been good. But enough about my awesome life. Someone's birthday is tomorrow isn't it?"_

"Yeah..." I sighed, thinking about the organic birthday cake Emily planned to make me... And the full-fat, chemical filled, frosting covered deliciousness that Rose would sneak into the freezer tonight. "The girls are really excited about it."

_"But you aren't?"_ He asked, reading my voice well.

"Not everyone wants to make a production out of turning thirty." I said, taking a jab at the big blowout party he had had in L.A. a couple months before which we had attended. "Besides, I plan on being twenty-nine for a good five years, or until I start getting hot flashes. Whichever one comes first. But enough about that. How's your day been?"

_"About to get better." _He replied. _"I'm sending your birthday gift to you right now."_

"Let me guess..." I paused. "Is it a double chocolate, chocolate chunk birthday cake?"

_"Nope."_

"A male stripper?"

_"Nope."_

"A male stripper in a double chocolate, chocolate chunk birthday cake?"

_"Nope. Something even better. Something that'll make you smile."_

"If it's not a male stripper, or a birthday cake, or a male stripper in a birthday cake, then it's bound to fail at making me happy." I said, laughing so hard I was tearing up. It was then I went blind. I freaked out until I realized that the darkness covering my eyes felt like hands and the expensive cologne scent in my nose was most definitely real.

"I'm hurt, Lee. I thought I would be a better gift than a male stripper, but if you insist..." Jake pulled his hands away.

"Mud Pie!" I tackled him into a huge hug, laughing happily. "Oh my gosh, of course not! You're here! What... How... When... Oh my gosh!" I was so happy at seeing my best friend, I was stuttering over my words.

"Wait, wait, wait. Chill with the 'Mud Pie'." He straightened and adjusted his tie. "It's _Jacob _now."

"Oh. Going by the government name, aren't ya?" I teased, putting the phone down. "Guess being a big shot record producer is feeding your already inflated ego."

"Hey! I'm still down home and cool. I have two secretaries that tell me so."

I laughed. "Well as long as I'm around, you're Mud Pie to me. So what are you doing here?"

"I had to check out some new talent for the label and thought I'd surprise you for your birthday. I'm here for three days." He glanced at my half full appointment book and smirked. "So clear your calendar, because we're gonna tear this town apart."

"Jake, we're full fledged, mature adults now. We can't run around like we did when we were young and stupid." I threw an arm around his shoulder. "You know, dancing all night... Partying 'til dawn... Taking turns puking in sewers... Throwing snowballs at the cops..."

He sighed with the memories. "Christmas was fun... But seriously, let's go out tonight! I made reservations at that fancy place that serves expensive Japanese beef. You know how much you like the foreign meat."

"You just knew I would say yes, huh?"

"I was hoping..." He jutted out his bottom lip, making me laugh again.

"Okay. Just be lucky that I enjoy dining on expensive Japanese meat product on someone else's dime too much to say no."

"Good! Now, how's Alice?"

"Ah, you know her. Lookin' for love in all the wrong wallets. But at least she got a job as a shopper for a boutique. Too bad that large commission is going to her head. Instead of beer, chips, and pick-ups, it's _champagne, and caviar, and limosines._" I said in my most snooty voice.

"Don't worry about her. Alice always had expensive tastes. She'll get over it soon enough. What about Rosalie?"

"Let's see, she's still tall, blonde, model-gorgeous... Need I go on?" I passed him a picture of us on the beach to prove my point. "That's from our Bahamas trip in March. Alice's boyfriend-of-the-minute paid for all of us to go. She broke up with him afterwards. It was tragic. I actually liked James."

"And how's your family?"

"Dad's doing okay but Mom is still watching him like a hawk after his heart attack." I replied, thinking about my father's desperate plea for a real New York pizza before my mom wrestled the phone from him during their weekly call.

"Yeah... Your mom: Always the health nut. Still got that vintage Thighmaster she sent you for Christmas?"

"Nope. Gave it to my gay neighbor. Victor -I mean, Victoria- has been enjoying it a little too much."

"I was thinking on the plane ride here: What ever happened with that bugged out cousin of yours from Forks? You know, the one you told me was coming to New York to be an accountant?"

I grabbed him by the shoulders and turned him around, pointing to where Emily sat at her desk, chanting and shuffling her tarot cards with her eyes closed. He tilted his head specutively, not sure what to make of her.

"Is she possessed?"

"No. That's her daily positivity chant. It's supposed to spread love, joy, and good vibes around the office and it's occupants."

"Oh... That's nice... And not weird at all..." His cellphone beeped in his pocket and he glanced at the text message. "Listen Lee, I've gotta go, but what do you say I pick you up at eight?"

"That sounds great. I'll bring my empty tummy."

"And I'll bring my wallet."

"Sounds like a plan." I walked him to the elevators and waved goodbye. Upon my return, I stopped by Emily's desk to pick up my mail for the day.

"Who was that?" She asked, still shuffling her tarot cards.

"That was Jacob 'Mud Pie' Black." I replied, flipping through the various envelopes.

"Oh. He's the guy you're always talking about." Emily probed. "It's always 'Mud Pie this...' or 'Mud Pie and I...' or my personal favorite, "I remember when Mud Pie and I got arrested for (insert illegal activity here)..."

"He's my best friend. Since diapers, practically. We took baths together, made mud pies together, went to school together for a decade and a half. Our friendship's been going strong for nearly 20 years. We're like this." I crossed my pointer finger and middle finger. "And we were never truly arrested. The police just took us into the station to get picked up."

"What does he do?" She asked.

"He's a record producer. He lives in L.A. now, so I don't get to see him as often as I'd like." I watched as she absorbed this information and took that opportunity to sneak away. "Listen, I'm going to go out with him tonight, so let's wrap things up here and get back to the brownstone."

"So it's like a date?"

"No. Not like a date. I told you, he's my friend."

"Whatever. Just remember that we've got to clean out the fridge when we get back." She called as I walked away.

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><p>"Ahhh. It's so nice to relax and unwind and wash away all the anxieties of the day in a hot bubble bath..." Alice drawled as she exited the bathroom in her silk robe, leaving a trail of scented steam in her wake.<p>

"Alice, you've been home all day. There was no anxiety to wash away in the first place." I answered, pulling a container of something resembling chicken from the fridge. "Emily, does this smell like we can get another week out of it?"

She sniffed it delicately. "I can't tell. Alice, you try."

"Hell no. I've got sensitive nostrils and it looks like it's going to sprout legs and walk away at any moment." She said, grabbing a bottle of water and seating herself at the kitchen table, taking in my appearence for the first time. "And may I ask why you're sniffing your way through two week old yogurt and moldy chicken in that outfit?"

"Why?" I asked anxiously. "Did I get something on it? Do I look okay?"

Emily giggled and answered for me. "Someone named 'Mud Pie' came in today and they're going out tonight."

"Jacob's in town? And you didn't tell me? What's he doing here?" Alice asked, shooting up out of her seat. "What time is he going to get here? Where are you going? And why are you wearing _that_?"

"At eight, I think. We're going to that new Japanese beef restaurant, then we're going to check out some new groups for his label. He's here on business, Alice, don't get any ideas." Then I froze. "Wait... What's wrong with my outfit?" I gestured to my black pencil skirt, white silk tank top, and burgundy sweater. "I thought I looked okay."

"Don't listen to Alice, Leah. You look very pretty for your date." She reassured me, then turned to Alice. "Alice, your idea of datewear is frightening. I have never met someone who can manage to be overdressed, yet underdressed at the same time."

"This isn't a date! It's two friends getting together to catch up and have fun." I defended myself.

Alice and Emily exchanged a look, but Emily was the one who spoke up. "Okay. Whatever you say, Leah. Now, does this go into the Dump Pile or the Keep Pile?"

Before I could answer, Rosalie threw open the door and closed it with a slam. "What's up y'all!'

Rosalie Hale lived in the brownstone next door to us, but she was just as much a fixture in the house as any of my roomates. She offered great advice, ate us out of house and home, and hung out with us everyday after work.

"Damn Rosalie. How the hell are you always getting in here?" Alice griped. "If you paid for all the time you spent here and all the food you ate, I would be able to live here rent free."

"Dear Mary Alice, how I've missed your sparkling wit and personality. Leah gave me a key in case of emergencies, if you must know." She threw down her briefcase and took off her coat. "Now, what do you have to eat?"

Alice grabbed the chicken and shoved it at her. "Here, try this."

Rosalie grabbed a leg, took a huge bite out of it, and began to chew. Then she spit it all out in the same second. "Ew. What the fuck was that?"

"Dump Pile." Emily, Alice, and I said at the same time. Rosalie glared at us and stomped over to the kitchen table, finally taking in my outfit.

"That was nice. Really fucking nice." Rose nodded at me. "Why do you look so dressed up?"

"Leah's got a date." Emily said, pulling out her Accounting textbook and seating herself next to Rosalie.

"It is not a date. We're just good friends!" I exclaimed to my hard headed friends.

"Whatever it is, you aren't wearing those are you?" She gestured to my comfy suede flats.

"Why not?"

"Because any self respecting fashionista knows not to pair an outfit like that with flat shoes. Wear those brown suede platforms I got you for Christmas." She ordered.

"I tried to tell her. She wouldn't listen." Alice shook her head and re-tied the sash on her purple silk robe. "Would you look at her? She's not even wearing make-up. And no Leah, Chap-Stick does not count as make-up."

"Any self respecting fashionista?" Emily teased. "This is Leah. She'd be lost if we didn't dress her in the morning. Remember when she tried to pair that blouse with those sweatpants?"

"Yeah, yeah. I get it. Poke fun at the no dressing fool. I'll wear the shoes, Rose. I'll have to get them from the hall closet."

At that moment, the door burst open again and Sam and Emmett stumbled through. Emily stood up with her Accounting book and notes and waved to Sam. "There's my Accounting tutor. Sam said he'd help me out before my exam."

"Accounting? What do you know about accounting, Sam?" Alice scoffed.

"I know a good bit about it." He drawled. "I run my own handy-man business, for one. And I once repaired an air conditioning unit at an accounting office." He smirked and straightened his suspenders. "Bet you're feelin' foolish now, huh?"

Sam Uley and Emmett McCarty were our upstairs neighbors, who shared our rent in the brownstone. It was a wonder to me how he and Emmett managed to live with each other, let alone be best friends seeing as they were polar opposites.

Sam was a good Southern mama's boy who, as mentioned, owned his own handy-man business. He was a whiz at fixing anything that was broken, except for refrigerators. There were definite benefits to having a jolly handy-man living in the house. For one, we never had to look far for him, and because Sam was seriously taken with Emily, it meant we got all the repairs we needed for free. Emmett, on the other hand, was a clean cut stock-broker who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. At times, Emmett could be downright arrogant and self-centered, especially when he and Rose were in the middle of one of their famous verbal sparring matches, but at other times, he could be as charming and as cheery as the next guy.

"Why are you all dressed up?" Emmett asked as soon as he saw me. "Do you have a date?"

"Oh, for the love of Christ, for the last time..."

"IT'S NOT A DATE, WE KNOW!" Alice, Emily, and Rose said in unison.

"Right. It's just two friends getting together to catch up." I finished.

"Whatever you say, Leah. Now, come on Sam. We've got studying to do." Emily grabbed Sam's hand and led him away, where they disappeared to the living room through the swinging door.

"So it's just a night out with a friend, right?" Rose asked, pushing her glasses further up her nose.

"Yeah. Jake and I always have a good time when we get together." I said as I pulled the shoes from a shelf in the closet. "No make-up, no mind games, no manners, no pressure. Just good fun with my buddy."

"Damn it, Leah. You can be ugly and rude with us." Rosalie said.

"It's not the same. It's like going on a date, but not going on a date. You know?"

"Are you saying he's a player for the other team?" She replied, looking mischeivous.

"No! That wasn't what I meant. He's just a friend. I assure you, he's not gay."

"What's the point of going out with a guy that's not a friend? That's like taking a fish for a walk." She muttered. "And I'm still really hungry. Bring me back a doggy bag will you?"

"Rose, they named a bag after you..." Emmett deadpanned as he sat down with a mug of tea. "You should feel honored."

Rosalie's eyes flashed dangerously and she gave him a benevolent smile, picking up the box of tea bags he'd set in front of him. "How charming Emmett. Let me ask you, do you use that flattering line with evey woman you meet?" She pretended to think, putting a finger to her chin. "If so, it's no wonder you haven't had a date in... How long?"

"Six months?" I offered helpfully as I pulled on the shoes and wiggled my toes.

"Shut up, Hale. And it's five months." Emmett muttered.

"Like that makes a difference." I giggled as the doorbell rang. "Oh, that must be Jake now."

Emmett and Rosalie followed me into the living room so I could get my coat. Emily had opened the door and was greeting him happily, sans chanting. Alice suddenly burst into the room with my black cashmere thrench coat.

_"You'll thank me later." _She whispered as she thrust the coat into my arms. Then she straightened and opened her arms. "Jacob! How've you been?"

"Alice. Still short and scrawny, I see. Ouch!" He said, wincing when Alice pinched him hard on his upper arm.

"And don't you forget it! Oh, and this is Emmett and Sam. They live upstairs." She introduced the guys and they all shook hands. "You already know Rose and Emily, Leah's cousin."

Up until that moment, I'd thought Emmett was the biggest guy I'd ever seen. But seeing them side by side, Jake really gave him a run for his money. Both were tall and formidable, with large shoulders and arms and strong looking thighs and legs.

"Oh. What's on T.V.? Is that the game?" Jake leaned against the arm of the couch.

"You like football?" Emmett asked.

"Yeah. I saw the last game they had." He gestured to the television, where the game was still in full swing. "Their defense sucks... Hard."

"I know what you mean, man." Sam agreed, then leaned toward Emmett. "I like him."

I jumped in before they could start talking sports, because I knew if I didn't I would be there all night. "Come on, Jake. I'm hungry."

"You're really greedy you know that?" He waved good-bye to the guys.

"Of course I am." I said good-bye to the girls and the guys as I opened the door.

"Be good, kiddies. I don't want to have to pick you up from the subway because you're too drunk to navigate yourselves home." Alice glared at us from the top of the stairs. "Alice needs her beauty sleep tonight."

"Don't forget that doggy bag!" Rose called, then glared at Emmett. "Don't even start it, McCarty."

"Bye Leah!" Emily called from the couch, where she and an adoring Sam were seated. "It was nice to meet you..." She giggled. "Mud Pie."

"I thought you'd gotten over that." He teased as we skipped down the stairs. "That girl is never going to take me seriously."

"Sorry, Jake. Guess she heard me say it and it caught on." I checked my watch. "What time were those reservations for?"

"Eight. We better hurry." He replied, taking hold of my hand to pull me along to the subway. "I know how impatient you are to go."

"Of course I am. I didn't eat lunch. Fancy meat... Here I come!"

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><p>"I really liked the girl group from the Bronx. They had a nice vocal range, plus, they were the only ones who did original songs. Every one else did covers." I said as we walked out of the club.<p>

"I thought I would die laughing when the Jewish rapper did that cover of Britney Spears." He said. "But I have to give him credit for trying."

"Too bad he sucked. I thought my brain would bleed out from my ears, he was so bad." I muttered. I felt my cell phone vibrate in my coat pocket and pulled it out, stopping to check it. "Sorry, it's Emily."

"Take your time, Lee." He spied the entrance of a corner store behind me. "I'm going to get a pack of mints. My breath is smelly enough to melt steel."

"No one told you to order the steak with onions." I scolded as he walked away. Punching in Emily's number, I pressed the call button and waited as it rang.

"Leah!" Emily breathed into the phone. "I was freaking out. My chakra's all out of wack because I was so worried."

"Well, I'm calling now. What's wrong?" I asked.

"I forgot the mock-up at the office. It needs to be dropped off at the printers tomorrow morning." She said in a small voice.

"Em. How could you forget that?"

"I'm sorry! I've just been super stressed about this accounting exam. I didn't mean to." She exclaimed, just as I spotted Jake walking toward me.

"Why didn't you go back and pick it up?" She was silent and I groaned. "Again? Emily, that's the third set of keys."

"It's not my fault they fell down the kitchen drain! I asked Sam to try and get them, but he's not having any luck." I sent a prayer of patience heavenward and tossed my hair over one shoulder.

"It's okay. I'll pick it up and drop it off before I come home." I sighed and gave Jake a small smile.

"Really? Oh thank you, Leah! I really am sorry! This is such a relief. Now I can get back to rebalancing my peace and serenity before the exam. I'll make you some tea when you get back."

"There's no need for that." I said, thinking of the nasty bitter green concoction that always made me gag. I only sipped it to be polite for Emily's sake, but that didn't mean I couldn't try my darndest not to drink it. "I'll call you later."

"Everything okay?" Jake asked, passing me a piece of gum. I hung up and slid the phone back into my bag.

"Yeah. Um, you wouldn't mind taking a detour to the office before we go back to the brownstone would you?" He checked his watch and shrugged.

"Sure. That's no problem. But you might have to explain to Mother Hen Alice why you're getting home so late." He teased.

"Oh please..." I scoffed as I pulled him toward the subway. "Alice doesn't scare me... Much."

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><p>"Just can't stay away from this place, can you?" He teased as I opened the door.<p>

"Shut up. This will only take a minute." I shot back, smirking when he leaned against Emily's desk.

"You're not gonna make me type anything are you?"

"No. But you can grab that broom over there and start sweeping." I peeked out from under Emily's desk to turn on the desk lamp. "Start by the coffee machine. There's always spilled sugar over there."

"Um... No. I'm good. But don't rush." He muttered. I laughed as I unearthed the mock-up from Emily's desk drawer. I stood and moved to the copy machine to print out a back-up in case something went wrong. "I think I'll just check you out in the shadows of the moonlight."

"Hah! You should see me when I'm under fluorescents... I glow!" I retorted as I flipped through the mock-up for any small mistakes. I realized that Kim's pictures weren't included, so I ducked behind the wall to my open office to grab the folder from my desk. I selected the nicest ones and slipped them into their appropriate places. As I did this, I decided to try and make conversation.

"So do you think you're gonna sign any of the bands we saw tonight?" I asked over my shoulder. "You know my choice, but the last band was nice too. If you do sign any of them, I hope you sell first interview rights to _NYC Beat_."

"Well, I'm not really sure. I really don't think I have the extra time to develop them." He said distractedly. "You ever feel like you want something, but you just don't have the time to devote to it?"

"Do I ever." I said, still arranging the pictures. "This magazine has become my whole life. Sometimes I feel like there are not enough hours in the day to do what I want and need to do. And there's not much time for anything else."

"I guess we can't complain. I mean, look at us. You have a great life in New York, living your dream. All you could talk about in college was owning your own magazine. And now look at you. I don't care how you spin it, Leah. Your magazine's doing really well. I thought I saw someone reading it at a coffee shop in L.A."

"Really?" I said, still trying to get the pictures just right. I couldn't deny the swell of pride that filled my chest when he told me that.

"Really. I was really proud of you." He said. "Still am."

"Well, what about you? All you could focus on when we were growing up was music, even though Billy wanted you to take over the family mechanic garage. Now look at you. You live the high life in L.A. doing what you love. I think we're both very fortunate and lucky." I replied. "I saw that new singer you produced on the cover of _Rolling Stone _the other day. And no matter how _you_ spin it, you're good at what you do."

"Then I guess it was well worth the sacrifice." He said. I could feel him watching me adjust the photos and it made my skin tingle. "We made it."

"Yeah. I guess we got everything we wanted, huh?" I replied as I nodded in satisfaction at the arrangement and tucked away the remaining photos. Closing the mock-up, I whirled around to leave only to collide with Jake's hard chest. I was about to apologize when I looked up and saw the look in his eyes.

"Not everything." He whispered, leaning in close to me. I gasped when he softly touched his lips to mine, clutching the mock-up close to my chest. He pulled away to pry the file from my hands and set it on my desk. Then he pulled me closer and kissed me properly, winding his arms around my waist as I sighed in bliss. His lips were so soft, yet so insisting. It almost made me forget that he was my best friend...

_Almost..._

I pried my lips away and tried to muster up enough outrage to glare up at him. I failed miserably and my voice came out shaky and small. "What was that?"

"You don't know when you've been kissed?" His eyes locked on to mine, so dark and smoldering, my breath caught in my throat. I let out a choked sound as he leaned forward again. "You're crazier than I thought, Clearwater."

Before I could come up with a quick retort, he kissed me again, making me melt in his arms. I sighed in surrender and wrapped my arms around his neck, pressing myself closer to him. All at once, his lips became more insistent and he pushed a hand through my hair to gain better access. I ran a hand through his soft hair as he pulled me up onto the desktop. My legs parted instantly to allow him to come closer.

I was in bliss and I was loving it.

My mind and my body were occupying two different universes. One one hand, my mind was telling me to stop, that Jake was my best friend and that I should salvage what I could of the friendship before we went too far. But my body was singing under his touch and that made it impossible to even contemplate telling him to stop.

He moved his head to kiss my bare neck, nibble at my ear, nip the sensitive skin of my shoulder. I couldn't pull in enough air, my breath coming out in desperate little gasps. I took in the white walls of my office, the abstract painting on the wall, my Garfield wall calendar. Anything to fight off what was going on below the belt. But I still felt drugged and euphoric as I pulled my hand through his soft hair.

"Jake..." I whispered, feeling the muscles low in my stomach tightening quickly. As much as I loathed to do it, I dragged my hands between us and pushed at his chest. He seemed to be in a trance, still kissing my neck and tightening his hold on my waist. "Jake..." I said again with even more urgency.

"Hmm..." He groaned against my skin. I pulled his head away and jumped off of the desk, instanly feeling bereft and cold when I pulled away from his warmth. I straightened my sweater and my skirt and my hair, feeling the flush of my cheeks heating my face in mortification.

"We shouldn't do that... We just can't." I whimpered, mostly to myself. I caught a glimpse of the mock up on my desk and grabbed at it as if it were a life raft. "I have to bring this to the printer. I have to straighten out my desk." I set to work righting everything that had been messed up while we were distracted. My hands and voice shook, and I wobbled on my ridiculous heels.

"Leah." Jacob broke into my frantic thoughts, closing his hands around my wrists to stop me from moving. "Leah. Calm down."

"I can't calm down!" I screamed in frustration and gestured to the area where I'd lost control. I hated the fact that my traitorous body still burned for him in the place I wanted him most. "That shouldn't have happened. You're my best friend, Jake."

"Your best friend who wants to become more to you." He said simply. I hated that he looked unruffled at what had happened, as cool and calm as a cucumber.

"Jacob, you're not thinking rationally. You had a glass of wine at the restaurant and it's going to your head." I grabbed his arm and tugged on it. "Let's get you back to your hotel so you can sleep it off."

He surprised me by pushing me against the wall, engulfing me completely into his huge shadow as he trapped me against it. "Dammit Leah, that's not what's happening and you know it. You don't honestly think I'd risk our friendship over a drunken hook-up?"

"The same way you believe that I'm going to risk it over a few hours of really great sex." I countered. He didn't answer but ran a hand through my hair and pulled me close to brush his lips against mine. My guard fell again and I melted in his arms.

He pulled away and pinned me with his gaze. "Come back with me to my hotel... I'll show you how wrong you are about us..." He kissed me again. "I'll make it good for you..."

I debated for a long while, taking in the earnest set of his mouth and his sincere gaze. Closing my eyes, I felt him all around me, clouding my judgement. I was drunk from desire for him.

"Please?"

One word had never been so full of meaning and importance.

All at once, I threw caution to the wind. I'd wanted to know what it would be like with him since high school and through college, even as an adult. I never allowed myself the luxury because I thought he didn't want me in that way. And now he was here, essentially telling me that he'd been wanting this for as long as I had. What did I have to lose? If our friendship was as strong as I thought, it would have no problem surviving this.

And that thought alone gave me the courage to give him my answer.

"Yes. Yes, I'll go with you."

* * *

><p><strong>I'm still debating on whether or not I want this as a three-shot or a five-shot. I guess I'll see how long it goes until I stop.<strong>

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	2. Chapter Two

**This is a flashback chapter. I figured that it would explain their relationship a bit better than a narration by Leah or Jacob. Plus, I started typing and the idea of writing the thoughts of five year old Jacob in third person omnipresent really appealed to me. Also, I've been thinking of writing a companion fic that would be in Jacob's point of view. It would be a one shot, but once this story is finished, I think it'll be a nice challenge to do something like that. Tell me what you think in a PM or a review, of course.**

**Also, a word of advice: NEVER let your cousin/best friend trick you into letting her help write a chapter for your fanfic. Also, don't let her trick you into doing a pinkie promise to seal the deal. Those things are sacred and can't be broken, you know.**

**Anyway, onto the 2nd chapter of my five shot! I may have gotten some of the math wrong, so forgive me! I'm intending for everyone to be in the late 20s - early 30s range.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: Love and Memories<strong>

_**September 21, 1985**_

A little boy sat alone in the sandbox at the local preschool. A small, blue plastic bucket and bright yellow plactic shovel was in his hands as he played. It was one of those rare sunny days; yellow heat replacing the usual muggy, grayness that made up the usual weather in the Western Peninsula. The sounds of the other children working off their lunch surfaced behind him. A willful and precocious four and a half year old, Jacob Black didn't join them, instead, choosing to sulk in the sandbox near the swing set. Just the night before the first day of school, his mother had cut his shaggy black hair, a bowl and a pair of household scissors her only weapons... of potential mass destruction. Sarah had placed the bowl on his head, and with every snip and every piece of hair that had fallen to the linoleom of the kitchen floor, he had felt his heart sink little by little.

"Big boys," His mother told him. "Don't let their hair grow past the shoulders." And with that, she continued to cut, a piece of his heart falling with every piece of hair that was clipped off..

Although there was a small amount of relief, (anything to get his sisters to stop playing 'Hair Salon' with him as their only client) Jacob would miss his hair. It was his version of a security blanket. Whenever he didn't feel like talking to anyone, all he'd had to do was push his hair in front of his face. Plus, whenever it got frizzy during the winter, he liked it because it kept his face warm.

But that didn't stop Sarah Black from chopping it all off. He'd had an icky feeling about it from the beginning. And when he caught a look at himself in the mirror when Rebecca had helped him with his bath, Jacob was right to be scared. He looked like a noob, as Rachel liked to say. How was he going to show his face at preschool tomorrow?

He recieved the answer to his question when he had woken up that morning. The twins blew into his room in a perfumed cloud and destroyed his closet to find something for him to wear while his mother had made a healthy breakfast and his dad had started up the car. Jacob sat at the kitchen table and had a huge bowl of oatmeal and orange juice and toast in his favorite Transformers t-shirt and cargo shorts with clean white socks and kiddie Converse sneakers. His dad tried to make him feel better about the haircut, but it did no good. What would he know about his plight? Mom stopped bothering him about his hair long ago. So Billy Black had driven the children to school, and after dropping off his chatty sisters at the middle school, continued the ride in stony silence.

Jacob was too depressed to do anything else but sit there, which was probably why he hadn't made too many friends yet. Everytime someone would attempt to talk to him, he'd grunt at them and turn away. Jacob knew it wasn't a 'big boy' thing to sulk, but he'd figured he could make some new friends when he felt better and more like his cheery self.

He was so busy banging away on his bucket, using the shovel to scoop dirt and water into the bucket before plunging his hands inside, that he didn't notice someone near him until she had plunked herself down right in front of him. He looked up and there was a girl. Jacob recalled seeing her when he had walked into the classroom, already surrounded by a gaggle of giggly girls; miniature versions of his sisters. He took in her long black hair, held back with a pink butterfly clip, frilly pink and yellow plaid skirt, and yellow tank top, blinking like an idiot.

She just stared at him for a long while, stony faced and silent. Then she broke out into a smile and before he could react, she had taken the shovel out of his hands. She resumed his shoveling, haltingly at first, then more confident. He noticed the delicate gold charm bracelet on her wrist as she did so.

"I'm Leah." She said without preamble. "You're Jacob. Can I make sandpies with you?"

"Okay..." He responded, glaring down at his bucket again while she began to play with the wet sand in her hands.

"I like your shirt. None of the other girls like Transformers. Bumblebee's my favorite." Jacob did nothing but stare. He'd never met someone as... Blunt as her before. In his shock, he didn't say anything, then wondered if she thought he was rude.

But she didn't seem to mind his silence at all.

"But I really really really like Onti... Optilo... Ocktim..." She struggled over the word.

"Optimus?" Jacob offered helpfully, the first word he'd said all day.

"Yeah. Optimus Prime is nice too, I guess." Leah offered him a dazzling smile. She continued to beat on the bucket as she spoke.

"You like Transformers?" Jacob repeated dumbly.

"Uh-huh. My mom wants me to play Barbie, but Dad always lets me play Transformers." Leah said and shook her head. "I don't like Barbie. She's a bimbo."

"What's a bimbo?"

"I don't know. I heard my mom say it on the phone once."

Jacob felt himself smile as he played with the sand around him. "Do you like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?" He asked shyly.

"Yes! It's my favorite cartoon ever! Daddy and I watch it every Saturday morning. Sometimes, he even lets me stay up past bedtime to watch it." She replied, stopping her pie making and tossing the finished products out of the box. Leah seemed to notice his haircut at that moment, and Jacob tensed, waiting for the insults to begin.

Instead, she just squinted into the sunlight. "You got a haircut too, huh?"

Jacob was surprised. "How'd ya know?"

"I got one this weekend too. My hair used to be here," She indicated to an area near her elbow. "Now it's here." She pointed to her shoulder blades.

"Wow. My hair was right here." He indicated an area near his neck. "But mom cut it. Big Boys don't wear their hair past their shoulders."

"I miss my hair. When it got frizzy, it kept my face warm." She said, then tilted her head. "Is that why you're sad? Because your mommy cut your hair?"

"Yeah. I look like a noob."

"What's that?"

"I don't know. I heard my sister say it once."

She seemed to contemplate that for a moment. Before she could reply, the bell rang from the school and the teachers began calling everyone in. She got up and brushed herself off. Then waited for Jacob to do the same.

"I like you, Jacob. You're going to be my first best friend."

"Me?" Jacob said. He wasn't cool enough to be Leah's friend. Also he was a boy. Boys and girls couldn't be friends. Rebecca had told him so just last month.

"Yes. They," She pointed to the group of girls she had been talking to earlier. "Are idiots."

"Okay. Then you're my new best friend." Jacob said, forgetting his doubts completely when she smiled at him.

"Aren't we supposed to do a secret handshake or give each other a present?" She asked.

"I don't know. I never had a best friend before."

"Me neither." She looked around and finally offered him her charm bracelet. She picked out the prettiest, book-shaped charm, unhooked it and gave it to him. "Here. My mom says that if you give your best friend a gift, it's a token of your friendship. I dunno what that means, but it sounds good. I like to read and write a lot."

"Okay then." Jacob reached inside his shirt and pulled out his most prized possession. Around his neck was a simple black string which held a wooden charm made for him by his deceased grandfather. The small wooden charm was in the shape of a wolf, since they were his favorite animal. He pulled it out of the string and gave it to Leah, who promptly set in the empty space on her charm bracelet. "Here's my token. I like wolves."

"Thank you very much." They stood in line together and waited for the rest of the children to report back to the teacher.

And that was the day it all began.

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><p><strong>June 15, 1993<strong>

"C'mon Leah!" Jacob panted as he struggled to get his bike uphill. "If we don't get to the beach in time, we won't find a good spot."

"You try carrying all this crap on a bike and get back to me, why don't ya?" She yelled back. Jacob noticed the testy tone to her voice and smartly chose not to push the issue further.

"Sorry! Do you need any help?" He asked, backtracking until he was right beside her. She shoved her tote bag at his chest, knocking the wind out of him. "Okay, I'll carry your bag, no problem." He said, sarcasm apparent in his voice.

Leah leveled him with a withering glare, similar to the one Sue Clearwater had given him when he shattered their kitchen window playing with Leah a few weeks back. "Listen Black, I'm not in a good mood right now. Don't piss me off."

"What's wrong?" Leah was usually really happy when they biked to the beach. Jacob wondered why she was suddenly on the warpath. He thought back to the past week at school and was confused. She seemed okay then.

"I don't know. I just feel really mean all of a sudden." Leah admitted with a forlorn sigh. She shrugged and turned to tie her bag to the handlebars of her bike. "I don't know what's going on with me. I think Seth's just been annoying me more than usual."

Seth was Leah's five year old brother.

"Maybe that UFO we thought we saw last week finally came back to take over your body." Jacob joked, smirking when they finally began the downward trek over the hill toward the beach. "Who knows? Maybe I'm next!"

"That would be awesome!" Leah agreed, panting when they reached the bike rack and started chaining up their bikes. Alice Brandon ran over to them, a small, hyper force to be reckoned with. Jacob blinked rapidly as he looked at her approaching them. The bright pink bathing suit and yellow shorts would have been okay on any other occasion, but combined with the sun, it was just plain blinding.

"Jake! Leah!" Alice exclaimed as she tackled them into one of her normal hugs. "You made it! Thank god! Mike was starting to bore me to tears! If he mentions his Pokemon card collection one more time, I'm going to toss myself into the sea."

"Hi Alice!" Leah said, pulling out a collection of teen magazines. "Here you go. I finished reading these yesterday. Get them back to me on Monday."

"Leah! You're a lifesaver!" Alice said, holding the fashion magazines close to her chest. "If my dad finds these, he'll be on the warpath."

Alice's father, Reverend Brandon, was a priest at the local church that they all attended. Having moved his family of four from Nevada a couple years back, he'd decided that homeschooling his kids wasn't possible with his hectic schedule and sent them to the local public school, where she and Leah had become good friends.

"Alice, are you sure you should have worn that?" Jacob asked, trying to get used to her bright outfit, giving up, then searching for his baseball cap. "It's making my eyes hurt... And they're starting to water."

"Shut up, Mud Pie." Alice trilled, skipping to her towel to devour the magazines Leah had given her.

"I told her not to call me that." Jacob muttered, then finished locking up his bike. "What did Reverend Brandon ground her for now?"

"She ran up her credit card again. I don't know why he thought giving her one would be a good idea." Leah answered. "If my mom ever gave me a credit card, first, I'd check to see if she was sick. Then I'd use it for new books at the bookstore. What would you do with it?"

"Buy those really cool blue headphones from the music store. And I kinda need some new hiking boots. Good thing Mike's dad gives us a discount at the store." Jacob answered as they approached the spot Alice had saved for them and began laying out their towels.

"Which reminds me, Seth saw a really big tree in our backyard in the woods and Dad's gonna make us a tree house in it. Wanna help?"

"Is ice cream cold?" Jacob countered, then winced. "Damn. Now I want an ice cream cone."

"You know you shouldn't be eating ice cream; it irritates the metal of your braces." Leah said, shaking her head.

"But Lee, I really want some! Besides, they're coming out next week; I should be able to live a little." He whined, tossing an arm over her shoulder and leveling her with the puppy-dog eyes that had gotten him out of many a sticky situation. "And we're not all lucky enough to have naturally good teeth like you."

She glared at him again, clearly disapproving. Then she rolled her eyes and nodded, shrugging his arm off her shoulder. "The snack bar is near the bathrooms. I'll walk with you 'cause I have to change." Leah said. "Alice! Watch our stuff!"

"Will do!" Alice answered, still ignoring Mike and fervently perusing Leah's magazines. They made it to the snack and bathroom area fairly quickly and Jacob waited in line for his ice cream as Leah disappeared into the changing area.

Jacob had waited ten minutes and was second in line when he heard Leah hissing his name from her stall. He turned and was met with an urgent gaze.

"What's wrong?" Jacob asked.

"Go get Alice." She hissed.

"But I'm second in line!" Jacob complained, practically feeling the sweet, cold ice cream melting on his tongue. "What's wrong!"

"Jacob please!" Leah pleaded. "I'll get you a cone myself. Just please go get Alice."

_Jeez, something is really wrong. She sounds like she's about to cry. And she offered to get me an ice cream. _Jacob thought to himself. With a sigh, he ran toward Alice.

"Alice. Leah needs help!" Jacob said. Alice jumped up and grabbed her bag, pointing to her spot and indicating that Jacob should watch her stuff. So Jacob stood there as he watched Alice walked to the changing area and disappeared inside Leah's stall. Bored, Jacob sat and picked up Alice's discarded magazine to read.

He was just on a really good quiz (_What flavor ice cream are you? Chocolate, which was pretty fitting considering the circumstances_) when Alice and Leah appeared and began to walk toward him. When they approached, Leah handed him a double scoop ice cream cone and smiled apologetically.

"What was wrong?" He asked between licks of ice cream. "Why'd you need Alice?"

"Just a girl problem, Jake. No need to worry." Leah replied, turning away to pull off the tank top covering her bikini.

"Oh please." Alice said, rolling her eyes and opening a magzine. "Jake, you know how your sisters always get annoyed with you for about a week every month?"

His eyes widened with recognition and he turned to look at Leah, his face turning a dangerous shade of red in his embarrasment.

And that's when Jacob finally began to see Leah in a new way.

* * *

><p><strong>April 20, 1998<strong>

"Hey Lee, are you almost done?" Jacob asked as he poked his head inside the High School Publications room, where Leah was hard at work on the Yearbook. "The Rabbit and I are leaving with or without you."

"Give me a second. I need your opinion." She poked her head around the partition and lifted two identical color swatches. "Should I go with Pink Passion or Fun Fushia for the Fashion Club spread?"

Both colors looked exactly identical to him, but he knew better than to point that out. He ducked his head toward the swatch in her left hand. She exhaled in relief and pinned it up on the board, near pictures of the Fashion Club.

"Tough day, Boss?" He asked, settling into the chair near Alice's desk where she ran the fashion column of the school newspaper. There was a love letter from Mike Newton laying for all the world to see and he began to read it. Leah turned and caught sight what he was doing.

"Oh, don't bother reading that. It's boring. You'd think Mike would get over her by now. Jessica is gonna be pissed." Leah said, straightening the room in a flurry of activity. "How was band practice?"

"Same old, same old. They keep putting me in the back." He grumbled, hating that Mike was on the first row. Jacob and Mike had a love/hate relationship that usually bordered more on the hate side.

"Well, you are pretty tall. And you play the tuba. Mike plays the triangle... And not very well based on what you told me." Leah replied, throwing her books into her bag. "You did the Physics homework, right? Can I copy it?"

"Only if you let me copy your Calculus homework." He said.

"Deal." She shouldered her book bag and her purse and smiled. "Ready?"

"Yeah. Let's go, Miss Editor-In-Chief." He mocked. As she pulled out her key to the Publications room to lock up she rolled her eyes.

"Just remember who's going to let everyone in for the Senior Prank, Black. You don't want to make me mad."

"Well in that case, I'll get you a milkshake from the diner to make up for it."

"No." She said abruptly. "Get me a salad. Contrary to popular belief, I actually would like my prom dress to fit."

"As I've said many times, you look fine. One milkshake won't kill you."

"This coming from the guy with the fast metabolism and the fifty million sports and the free exercise lifting the band tuba." Leah muttered. He was about to reply, but winced as they began to walk toward the senior parking lot.

"How was football practice?" Leah asked.

"Killer. I'm hurting in places I didn't even know existed. Coach is working us hard for the game next week." Jacob complained. They made it out of the school and were walking toward Jacob's car when Alice popped her head from the back of Tyler Crowley's open van, where she had been making out with him and he had been pawing her like an animal.

"Hey Leah, hey Jake!" She said through kisses. Alice was the only person Leah knew that could carry on a conversation while making out. "Can you go to the store and pick up a tube of Chapstick for me?"

One exchanged glance between the best friends, and then they both began to come up with excuses not to.

"We have _tons_ of homework..."

"I'm _really_ sore from football practice..."

"Mom's making chili for dinner tonight..."

"Okay!" Alice said in a huff, then gave Tyler a quick peck to calm him down for the moment. "You guys suck. You're lucky I love you two."

"So I take it you don't need a ride?" Jacob asked, glancing meaningfully at Tyler's spacious van and the two people inside.

"Nope. It's all good." And with that, Alice and Tyler rolled back and began to make out in earnest. Leah and Jacob were effectively dismissed.

As they walked away, Jacob offered Leah his pinky finger. "I bet she let's him get under her shirt."

Leah linked her pink through his much larger one. "And I bet she let's him do that, and get under her skirt too."

"What are we betting?"

"Mom's lemon bars and bragging rights?" Jacob suggested.

"You're on." Leah replied, squeezing and letting go. Leah would be waiting for a call from Alice that night and she could almost feel Mrs. Black's lemon bars melting in her mouth as they settled into Jacob's small, orange car. "We're going to my house right?"

"Duh. Your mom's making chili." Jacob said. "I never miss chili night."

Ten minutes later, they pulled up into the Clearwater home driveway and immediately upon opening the front door, ran to the kitchen and encountered a familiar scene. Sue Clearwater was putting the finishing touches to a huge pot of chili, Harry was sitting at the kitchen table with Seth, simultaneously reading his evening paper and sneaking tastes of the chili from the pot, and Seth was doing his math homework.

Seth's bright brown eyes lit up when he saw Jacob come in. Completely ignoring Leah, he jumped up and ran for Jacob, who he worshipped like a god.

"Hi Jacob!" Seth cheered, hurling his little ten-year old body at Jacob's waist. "How come you weren't at the shop today?"

"My dad gave me the day off, so I decided to hang out here." Jacob replied, smiling at the little kid and winking when Leah rolled her eyes. Then he leaned forward and stage whispered in Seth's ear. "Your sister's really grumpy today."

"I heard that and I am not!" Leah said, grabbing two bottles of juice from the fridge and tossing one to Jacob before giving both her mom and dad a huge hug and kiss hello. While her mom's back was turned, she sneaked a bite of the chili straight from the hot pot. Her mother caught her and rolled her eyes in an expression not unlike Leah's.

"Okay, everyone. Out of my kitchen! We need to give the chili a time to breath and simmer, so the flavors can meld together harmoniously." Sue announced. Harry, with a nod to Jacob, escaped to the living room. Seth grabbed his homework and followed, knowing that his father usually let him watch TV instead of doing math.

Jacob sighed and grabbed his bag, knowing he wouldn't be able to sneak a taste of Sue's famous chili just yet. "Treehouse?"

"Sure." They walked out the back door and began the climb up huge, strong oak tree in the backyard. Harry, Jacob, Leah, and Seth (in his own way) had spent nearly a year on the treehouse that had occupied the tree for years. It was Leah's favorite place and she could often be found there on her downtime. There was a wall of books, smuggled snacks, and everything she could use to relax whenever she needed to. Out of all her friends, Jacob was the only one who was ever allowed up there.

"So what was that all about?" He asked when they settled in to begin their homework.

"Mom's on a hippie kick. She's preaching about peace and love and harmony nearly everyday. This morning, I could have sworn I heard her playing her flute music. And she's started doing yoga."

"I thought hippies were vegetarians?" Jacob said, then wished he hadn't because it made him think of the mouthwatering chili that was tempting him. Leah snorted and leaned back against the trunk in the middle of the tree house.

"Like mom is really gonna give up steak sandwich night at Stanley's Diner. She'd rather cut off her own arm than do that." And Jacob could believe it, having witnessed for himself the carnivorous way prim Sue Clearwater attacked a Stanley's Loaded Steak Sandwich.

"I can believe that." He said, then signed his name at the top of his Calculus homework. "Here you go. Thanks."

"No problem." Leah replied, returning his Physics homework to his backpack since she was closer to it. Then she moved to sit next to Jacob, and they were silent as they looked down into the backyard, their legs dangling off the edge.

"Oh! I meant to tell you! I have something to show you!" Leah jumped up and pulled a letter from her backpack, then passed it to Jacob. Her smile was a mile wide.

"You got into NYU?" He said, without looking at the letter inside. Her smile told him all he needed to know.

"Yeah! And I got that internship at Seventeen." She said, with the happiness and satisfaction of a person who had just gotten everything she wanted.

"I guess we all got what we wanted huh?" Jacob said. "Alice is at the Fashion Institute in New York, I'm going to Stanford for music, you're going to NYU to write..."

"I thought you were happy about going to California?" Leah asked, noticing the sad look in his face. Compared to his excitement when he found out his good news, this was vastly different.

"I am... But I'm going to miss... this place." He said, looking around the tree house. "And we're going to opposite sides of the country. I'm not good at making friends you know. Remember the first day of preschool?"

"Well, unless your mom tackles you, I don't think she'll give you another involuntary haircut." Leah laughed, nudging him with her shoulder. "Besides, you were just having a bad day."

"But what am I gonna do without my Partner In Crime?" He asked, throwing an arm around her shoulders.

"You'll find a new one... Preferably male and his name with be Chad. He'll probably be able to play football with you and the both of you will be each other's wingman. Then, you're going to forget all about me." Leah joked, faking a forlorn expression and throwing an arm across her face. "I guess I'm just lucky that you liked my jokes enough to keep talking to nerdy old me. But alas, the time has come where I shall be replaced!"

"You're so dramatic, Lee." He said, laughing. Leah could feel the rumble from his body through his arm, where it still rested across her neck.

"That's what friends are for." She replied, looking up at him.

Then, in the blink of an eye, their joking, happy atmosphere changed.

Jacob suddenly lost himself in her big, shiny brownish hazel eyes. Her skin felt soft on his arm and she smelled clean and fresh, like the citrus shampoo she always used. His chest felt tight and burned with some emotion he couldn't place. Had her lips always seemed so... kissable?

Suddenly, he wanted to find out just how true his conjecture was.

Leah felt the change in his demeanor. She noticed that his dark eyes grew even darker as the seconds passed. She took in his familiar, comforting features. _When had he gotten so... handsome? And strong?_ She thought as she took in the feel of the muscled arm around her shoulders. Their faces were so close.

All she'd have to do is turn her head ever so slightly, and they'd be kissing. It was everything she could do to keep her eyes from fluttering shut.

Was it her, or did their faces suddenly seem so much closer?

"LEAH! JACOB! CHILI'S READY!"

Sue Clearwater's voice broke through the quiet calm of the tree house, loud and clear. It seemed to destroy the atmosphere and Leah and Jacob broke apart. His arm fell from her shoulders and Leah instantly missed his warmth.

"We should probably go..." Leah said, her heart, which had lodged itself in her throat, beating like a drum. She pulled herself up and grabbed her bookbag. Before he could say another word, she disappeared down the ladder. Jacob got up and grabbed his things, looking down at Leah waiting for him as usual. His mind was still reeling from his new found revelation, and his lips burned insistently with the need to kiss her. He decided to ignore it and followed her into the house, having lost his appetite completely.

And for the very first time in his eighteen years, Jacob was not looking forward to Sue Clearwater's famous chili.

* * *

><p><strong>July 23, 2010<strong>

The music was loud and hypnotic. Leah could feel the bass run through her feet and her heart moved in time to the rhythm. She was a bit sweaty, but she was in no rush to race to the bathroom as other women were doing. However, her dance partner was.

"Come on, Leah! I have to fix my makeup! My mascara's running! I must look like a raccoon with height problems." A perfectly fine and dramatic Alice wailed, adjusting her breasts inside her green dress, much to the delight of the men who were around them.

"Alice, we've been over this. You're not short, you're height challenged." Leah said, letting her lead her to the bathroom. "Besides, we haven't even seen Jake yet."

"Don't worry about him, he's holding court with all those other hot, rich, influential men... Maybe we _should _go and say hi. I'm sure he won't mind." Alice said coyly. Leah rolled her eyes and pulled her toward the restroom.

Once inside the lushly decorated women's bathroom in the club, Alice ran for a stall and proceeded to maneuver her way out of her tight dress so she could finish her business. Leah stood and observed herself in the mirror, adjusting her hair. She couldn't believe she'd let Alice play with her hair before the party. It had looked good when it was first unveiled, but now that she had danced a bit, it fell a little flat. Leah didn't mind though, as it looked more like the style she usually did for herself.

"Here. Hold this?" Alice thrust a piece of fabric into her hands. Leah, assuming it was a handkerchief waited until Alice had washed her hands.

"What is it?" Leah asked. It looked sort of familiar. The cloth was black and lacy and... "Alice, is this your thong?"

"Yes." She replied without missing a beat. She raised a brow like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "What did you think it was?"

"If these are your underwear, why are they in my hand and not covering your... ladybits?" Leah asked, her nose turning up in disgust. Alice was one of her best friends, but this was taking things a bit too far.

"Ladybits?" Alice doubled over and began to howl. "Oh Leah, you're so cute. I saw a guy outside and I'm gonna get him to take a bite out of 'The Cookie.'"

"The Cookie?"

"Yeah, I started naming my... ladybits because I read somewhere that Liz Taylor did it and I decided that I'm going to emulate myself after her."

"You do realize that Elizabeth Taylor was married multiple men...? And some of them were gay?" Leah said. Alice faltered and looked uncertain.

"Really?" Leah nodded. Alice put away her eyeliner and mascara and bunched her nose. "Maybe my new idol should just be Audrey Hepburn."

"Now that I approve of." Leah said.

"But I'm still gonna keep the nickname. I kind of like it." Alice giggled as they began to walk out of the bathroom. However, the door flew open and a tall, perfumed, black-clad figure almost knocked them to the ground.

"Hey!" Leah shouted, helping Alice regain her balance. "Watch where you're going!"

"Back off, bitches." The woman replied, sashaying to the mirrors to inspect herself. Leah looked up and recognized her as an actress from one of Leah's favorite TV dramas. Alice nudged her waist and gave her a meaningful look, signalling that she had made the same connection.

"Are you Isabella Swan?" Alice, never the shy one, demanded. The woman turned her beautiful brown eyes on them and made a look of disgust.

"Yeah. What's it to you?" She asked. Alice scowled and took a step forward. The difference in height was almost comical, but the angry glint in Alice's eyes made up for the apparent disadvantage.

"Well I used to be a fan of your show, but not anymore?" Alice bit out. "Has anyone ever noticed how much of a bitch you are?"

"How dare you talk to me like that!" Isabella screeched, her pretty face turning an unattractive shade of red. "I could have you put out."

"You could try." Alice retorted. "We're close personal friends of Jacob Black's."

"Oh really?" Isabella replied, her malicious smile showing off her teeth in an unattractive array of white. "So am I. Now are you really going to stand here and lie to me, or am I going to have to call security, Shortstuff?"

Alice narrowed her eyes and raised a hand, almost as if to hit her. Leah made quick work of getting between the two of them and pulled Alice away. "Come on, Alice. She's not worth the price it'll be to get your nails redone."

"And who the hell are you?" Isabella said as if she was just noticing her for the first time. "Don't I know you from somewhere?"

Leah, who was still pulling a snarling Alice away, looked confused. "No. I don't think so."

"Well, you look really familiar." Isabella sighed, then finished slathering her lips with her cherry red lip gloss. Her lips looked like big, fat, raw sausages to Leah. "Now get out of my site before I report you two posers to the bouncers."

"That won't be necessary." Leah said. She wanted to throttle the spoiled TV star, but knew that this was not the time nor the place to get into a good old fashioned restroom cat fight. But she did know that she wasn't going to TiVo that particular TV show any longer.

Isabella smirked as if she had been victorious and left the restroom. The moment the door closed, Alice shook her arm out of Leah's grip and rubbed the spot. "Jesus Leah. Those kickboxing classes are working. With a grip like that, we could have both taken on Little Miss Bitchy Pants."

"I know, but this isn't the place to do it. Plus, I don't want to get kicked out for fighting. Or sued for messing up her nose job." Leah said.

"Well, whatever. I'm never watching that trashy show again." Alice huffed. "Come on. I don't want Mr. Tall-Dark-And-Handsome to get snapped up by another slut."

The moment they left the bathroom, Alice made a beeline for the man. Leah chose not to tell her that the man she was planning to seduce was one of the valets she saw at the front of the club. She'd let her figured that out on her own.

She was about to go to the bar, where Rosalie was presumably holding court, when her vision went dark.

"Missed me?" Even though the music was ear-splitting, she recognized the voice with no problem.

"Not really." She said, turning around and smirking up at Jacob. "Okay, maybe a little bit. Now give me a hug, you big idiot!"

He scooped her up in his arms and lifted her high, treating her to one of his customary bonecrushing hugs. It was comforting, no matter how foreign her surroundings were.

"Where are you staying? How long are you staying? When did you get here? Where's Alice and Rose? Why didn't you come look for me?" He began his flood of questions the second he put her down, looking playfully hurt that she hadn't made the effort to seek him out.

"We got here two days ago and we're going to stay at Rose's parent's summer house and leave in a week so we can go tour the city. Rose is at the bar and Alice is seducing a valet. And you looked like you were doing pretty well over there." Leah pointed to the area where she'd last seen him, the space now occupied by writhing dancers. "I didn't want to interrupt."

"You should've." He said. "They were boring me to death. It's my 30th birthday. I'm supposed to be dancing and celebrating the fact that I'm closer to going through my midlife crisis, not talking, damn it."

"Midlife crisis?" She asked, giggling as they moved toward the bar.

"Yeah. I have a Ferrari and a fancy European motorcycle on back order just in case it comes early." He joked. The bartender had drinks prepared for them as soon as they arrived and they took them. "So how's Seth?"

"He's doing okay. He wanted to come, but I forbade him." Leah explained. "Got a bad grade in one of his classes and now he's on probation. I had to lay down the law."

"That sucks." Jacob sympathized. "Where are your parents?"

"Second honeymooning at some temple in India. After dad's heart attack, she's trying to get him to channel his inner calm." Leah said, feeling a twinge of sadness. She missed her parents, as weird as they were. "Dad had to retire from his job at the police station. Mom thinks this might cheer him up."

Jacob made another sympathetic sound. Leah decided to change the subject. "How are your parents?"

"Still stubborn. Rachel, Becca, and I want them to come out here to live in California. They don't want to leave Forks though. Mom says that Hollywood scares her. And as long as Dad can't move the shop with him, he's not going either."

"That sounds like them." Leah laughed, then before she could say another word, Rosalie glided towards them, her blonde hair flowing wildly behind her.

"OH MY GOSH JACOB!" She slurred, leaning heavily against him for support. "THIS IS THE MOST FUNNEST PARTY EVVERRR! I'M SO GLAD THAT I'M HERE!"

"How many drinks have you had?" Leah asked, slowly prying the Cosmo from her hands.

"Just 10!" Rosalie replied, her voice getting a bit lower as excitement waned. "I have a high tolerance for alcohol you know!"

"I'm sure you do."

"I was just thinking that maybe Emmett isn't so bad. Just annoying. Where is he? I wanna kiss him. His dimples are so hawt..." Rosalie slurred, fondling Leah's cheeks to make her point.

Jacob looked startled, but a little amused. "Maybe you should bring her back to her house..." He suggested. Leah caught the amusement in his gaze and glared at him as Rosalie began to stroke her hair.

"I think I will. Do me a favor and make sure Alice doesn't go anywhere with that valet. She doesn't know him and she's slightly inebrieted."

"Keep the drunken hookup here. Got it, boss." He said, then walked with them toward the front of the club.

"We have to get together this week, Lee." He said as the valet delivered Rose's car. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." She said, as they loaded Rosalie into the car. Leah thanked the valet and got in. She was about to say something else when Isabella Swan appeared at the entrance of the club, striking a pose.

"Jacob?" She purred, swaying 'sexily' toward him. She peered into the car and narrowed her eyes when she spotted Leah. "Oh, who's this?" She asked, feigning innocence.

Jacob, just as clueless as most men were wont to be in a situation like this, smiled. "Isabella, this is Leah Clearwater, my best friend. She's a huge fan of your show. I mean, like mega huge fan. She watches almost every..."

"She get's it Jake!" Leah said, blushing very hard. "And it's okay. We've met."

Jacob looked confused. "When?"

"In the bathroom." Isabella answered. "Like they say, people who wash their hands together are friends for life." She let out a fake laugh and pretended to look in the back of the car, taking in Rosalie's sleeping form. "Where's your other friend?"

"She decided to stay." Leah explained, wanting to just drive away already.

"Oh, pity you couldn't stay for a little longer. I would have _loved_ the chance to get to know you." She smiled again, not a trace of malice in her demeanor. Her eyes, however... "Any friend of Jacob is a friend of mine."

"Yeah, well, we have to go. I'll call you, Jake." Leah began to pull off. "It was nice to meet you, Isabella."

"Likewise." She replied and they waved and went back into the club.

Leah watched their progress from her rear view mirror as she drove away. When she caught sight of his arm around Isabella's shoulders, she nearly exploded in anger. But there was a twinge of sadness as she remembered Isabella's hypnotic, nearly exotic beauty.

And for the first time in her life, Leah was jealous. Not because she coveted Isabella's beauty, but because she wanted what she knew she couldn't have.

Someone Isabella already had.

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><p><strong>Whew! That took a lot out of me!<strong>

**NEXT CHAPTER IS THE LEMON! (And maybe the morning after... Who knows?)**


	3. Chapter Three

**Doing this before I get on the bus! LOVE YOU ALL! THANKS FOR STICKING WITH ME!  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Chapter Three: I Need You<br>**

**LPOV**

"I… I have…" I moaned, as he pressed me against the wall of his room. "Jake. I have to…" The words in my head died in my throat as he pulled my jacket off my shoulders and threw it to the floor. He hoisted me up and my legs wound around his waist automatically as he gifted me with bone melting kisses.

"Have to what?" He asked, stopping for a full second before pressing his lips to a bare spot on the column of my throat. My pulse beat wildly as I tried to remember what I'd been saying.

"Call… Call… Call Alice." I panted out, licking my lips and trying to calm myself. "She'll be so worried." Surprisingly, Jacob was unconcerned with the possibility of facing the wrath of Alice.

"Call her later. Or never. I don't even care." He groaned, his hands finding the zipper to my skirt. He slid a hand down my shoulder to my breast, palming it, rubbing my nipple with his thumb.

I grabbed his backside and pressed myself against his hard-on. When he groaned, I slid a hand around his waist and into the waistband of his jeans. I felt him pull my sweater up and push my bra down, tugging my nipple into his mouth. The second his warm mouth closed over my nipple, I let out a strangled sound, something between and gasp and a cry and I jerked as he bit my nipple then soothed it with his tongue.

Fuck, I wanted, no, I needed to touch him too. I wasn't going to let him do all the work.

I yanked the zipper of his jeans down and slowly slid my hand inside his boxer briefs, wrapping my fingers around his erection, stroking him once, twice, three times.

"Fuck!" He ground out, backing me toward the couch and pulling me down. We hit the cushions together and the couch jerked as it hit the wall. I was so startled, my hand froze and he reacted as he felt me stiffen.

"Are you okay?" Jacob asked, reaching out to touch my face, his eyes dark and glazed.

"Uh huh." I replied, grabbing his jacket and pushing it off his shoulders with the desperation of a madwoman.

He dragged my sweater and the silk tank top underneath the rest of the way off and reached for the clasp on my bra while I started peeling his jeans off. I made a small, needy sound as his erection sprang free and he lost it for a moment, grabbing me and kissing me so hard that our teeth clashed and our noses bumped. My hands kept working at his jeans all the while, tugging them down his thighs then pushing them over his knees. He kicked himself free and reached for the zipper on my skirt.

The rough sound of the zipper echoed through the room, cutting through the sounds of our gasping and panting. Luckily, unzipping my skirt made it possible for me to pull it over my head and I yanked it off in one frantic, urgent motion. Once I settled back down on top of him, I opened my thighs wide and he groaned again as his erection nudged into my heated center. We were both gasping like landed fish, mindless, mad. He pressed his hips forward and backwards in a constant motion, greedy for more, wanting everything. My actions mirrored his own.

I was close to spontaneously combusting when he stopped his mind-numbing movements and held my roving arms down. I let out an impatient sound and gazed down at him desperately.

"Bed. We should be in a bed," he said.

"I don't care." I whined, urging him to move again to no avail.

"I do. I want this to be special. This is our first time."

"_Our_ first time," I repeated, the force of what we were about to do hitting me for the first time. I felt a telling warmth spread through my cheeks as I grinned.

"Yes."

"I guess we should make an effort, then." I replied with some hesitation, which made him chuckle.

"I know. I can't wait either." He said. I moved off of him with reluctance and was about to stand when he shot up and scooped me into his arms, as if he couldn't wait for me to walk. I grunted unattractively when he opened the door to the room.

"No sheets," I mused with a little good humor. "I guess the hotel maid forgot…"

"Are you kidding? Who cares about the fucking sheets?" he said, and he took me to the mattress in a flying tackle.

We butted noses as we kissed again, my breasts warm against his chest, my legs tangling with his. He lifted his head and skimmed his hand down my ribs to my hip, his eyes following the movement.

"So soft…" He whispered as he trailed his hand down my thigh and nudged my knee to one side. He shifted in the bed so that he could press a kiss against my belly, which clenched in response.

"This is probably the wrong time to mention this, but…" He began, looking at me sheepishly through his lashes. "You know, when we were fourteen and I moved next door?" He asked, continuing at my answering nod. "I used to watch you get changed from my bedroom window almost every night. When you had your blind down and the bedside lamp on I could see everything in silhouette. It drove me crazy." He said it lazily, casually, his focus on my body. "You probably think I'm some sort of pervert."

"Not exactly…" I began, running my fingers through his soft hair. "I used to do the same thing… Especially when we went through puberty… Puberty was good to you, you know…" I laughed. "If anything, _I'm _the pervert."

Jacob rubbed my lip with a thumb, an enigmatic look on his face. "Did you ever have fantasies about me?" He asked. I thought about it for a minute.

"Well," I began. "Yes. But they were always very tame. I always imagined you were a good kisser… Good to know that you lived up to that."

"Want to know something?" He smiled when I nodded and leaned in close. "Mine weren't tame at all. Especially one I had after graduation night…" He mused.

"What happened in that one?" Excitement began to spread through my body.

"In fact," He continued as if I hadn't spoken. I think I want to do it right now." He mused.

My eyes flew wide with surprise as he shouldered my legs wide apart and buried his face in between.

"Oh!" That was all I could verbalize. His tongue honed in on the opening between my legs and wedged itself high up inside me, tasting the wetness there. The arms I'd stretched out to support myself collapsed and I lay down, my hips arching up towards his mouth with no conscious thought of my own. He spread my legs wider, opening her totally to him, his moan creating a pleasant vibration.

My eyes drifted shut when he slipped two fingers deep inside me; moving around and around, in and out, shallow then deep. The breath rushed out of me when he licked it with the flat of his tongue, soothing yet electrifying at the same time. He began a mind-destroying lick and lap torture of the sensitive nubbin, reducing me to a gasping, moaning and pleading creature. I ached for him, not just his tongue. I even said so, drawing a chuckle from him. He restrained my undulating hips easily and continued his torture.

"Oh God," I moaned brokenly, so ready to fall when he stopped. "Wait! Don't stop!" I moaned, shivering when he kissed his way back up my body, lingering on my breasts.

"That was better than I thought it'd be…" He whispered as I caught my breath. "Dream You never lived up to the real you." He lifted my chin with a finger and kissed me. I could taste myself on his tongue, and the sheer eroticism of that thought made me moan.

"Jacob…" I pleaded. "Please…"

He kissed me again. Then he was spreading my thighs wide and nudging at my entrance and—finally—sliding inside me. We froze, the room suddenly very quiet. I looked into his face and saw the need and wonder and truth in his beautiful, dark eyes and wondered if he saw the same in mine.

"Ohhhh," I whimpered, breaking through the quiet in the room. He was huge, so huge and deep inside her. Jacob gripped my hips and pushed in just that little bit more, as if he couldn't bear the thought of even a centimeter of air between us. I felt so full that I could feel him pulsing deep inside of me.

He began to move, at first with gentle thrusts, but with my urging, with faster and deeper strokes. Each time he would withdraw almost completely before plunging in once again, pushing through my pliant muscles, aided by the moisture that gathered in my center.

"Jake…" I whimpered in ecstasy. "More…"

He responded with a grunt before clamping one hand on my shoulder, pulling my down to meet his ever-intensifying thrusts. It took all of a second for me to learn his rhythm, to adopt it and to follow it; I bucked my hips, giving him complete and total access, however he wanted it. I rode with him, circling my hips to find the most satisfying friction. Clutching at his hard, beautiful body. Savoring every hitch in his breath, every brush of his hands against my breasts, my belly, and my hips. Breathing and sighing and whispering his name. The pleasure was so intense, so sharp, it bordered on pain. His fingers strummed my aching clit, making my hips buck wildly. The harsh expletive he muttered echoed in my ear as he burrowed deeper into me, forcing my slick flesh to give way. And when he lifted me up, our chests touching, I was only too glad to hang on to his defined shoulders. His arms wrapped around me, warm and safe and exactly where I knew I belonged. I squeezed my eyes shut, mindless and dazed.

And then I was there, my climax crashing down on me with the force of a boulder in an avalanche. My nails dug into his arms as I held on. The cry that was hovering on my lips exploded in a full-fledged scream as I came and lost control. I lost all sense of time and had barely come down to earth again when he tensed, pressing his face into my neck. He breathed my name over and over as he came, his body shuddering against mine.

Afterward, he lay heavy and lax on top of me for a long moment, his ragged breath warm against my neck. After a while he rolled to the side, taking me with him. We lay facing each other and I ran my fingers through the dark silk of his hair, reveling in the freedom to touch him like this.

"Go to sleep, Lee…" He whispered as I fought my exhaustion. "We'll talk in the morning, but just… Just let me hold you."

I was only too happy to oblige, kissing him softly on his chest before I succumbed to the darkness.

_I love you… _I wanted to say, but I tumbled into sleep before I could open my mouth to form the words.

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><p><strong>READ AND REVIEW!<strong>


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